LOWLIFE (2018) **

As you all probably know, I’ve been watching a lot of El Santo movies lately.  When I saw this advertised, I thought it was going to be kind of like a modern version of the classic Lucha Libre cinema.  As it turns out, that’s not the case.  It’s more of a Pulp Fiction variant as it consists of a handful of interconnected crime stories. 

This first story focuses on a former Mexican wrestler named El Monstruo (Ricardo Adam Zarate) who is now reduced to acting as a doorman for a back-alley bordello.  The second tale is about a struggling motel owner (Nicki Micheaux) who is seeking an organ donor for her dying husband by any means necessary.  The third centers around a guy (Shaye Ogbonna) whose best friend (Jon Oswald) emerges from a long prison stretch with an extremely problematic face tattoo.  In the final tale, all the stories come together for a violent climax.

The set-up had potential, and there are some clever moments along the way, but overall Lowlife just doesn’t quite work.  Much of the black humor lands with a thud, and the tone is rarely consistent.  Most disappointing is the character of El Monstruo.  In Pulp Fiction, it didn't matter when we didn’t see the big boxing match because the rest of the movie was so breathtakingly original.  Here, we just feel shortchanged by the lack of Lucha Libre action.  What makes it worse is that El Monstruo, who is prone to violent fits of rage, blacks out whenever he goes on rampage, so we only see the aftermath of the bloody carnage he wreaks.  If anything would’ve saved this movie, it would’ve been some serious masked Mexican wrestler action.  Even with the benefit of a worthy Mexican wrestler, I’m still not sure Lowlife would’ve been highly recommended.